Mines News

SD Mines Mechanical Engineers Partner with Stevens High School in Hands-On Education Program

Weston Shutts, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student at SD Mines, assists Joseph Spray, a junior at Stevens High School on a machine inside the Stevens classroom.

RAPID CITY, SD (Feb 23, 2018) – Students and
professors in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology are partnering with Rapid City Stevens High
School students in a new hands-on education effort to prepare the next
generation of engineers and skilled technicians. The engineering and machining
class lead by Stevens teacher Jason Reub is working with SD Mines students and
professors to learn machining and mill working tools and techniques in a newly
outfitted machine shop located at Stevens High School.

Members of the press are invited to a media availability to see the students
working with the new tools and view the class in action at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at Stevens
High School. Members of the media must check in at the school’s main office prior
to joining the class.

This new effort is tied to a revival of what
was traditionally known as “shop class.” Many high schools stopped offering
courses such as wood and metal working years ago amidst budget constraints. But
today, a shortage in the skilled labor force has brought these courses back
with a high-tech twist.

Stevens students not only learn to use traditional
hand tools, they also learn to use the equipment essential in modern
manufacturing, such as 3D printers and computer-controlled laser cutting
machines. Stevens recently acquired a new set of grinders, mills, drills and
lathes that allow precision metal working – and SD Mines students and
professors are lending a hand in training on these machines. Equipment like
this is an integral part of the hands-on learning experience in the mechanical
engineering department at SD Mines. The
department was recently ranked in the top ten mechanical
engineering programs in the nation.

“There is a demand for students who can
problem solve; there is a demand for students who can design and build and fix
things,” says Jason Reub. “I tell my students, college is a great idea, but so
is any training beyond high school. Just don’t stop here, get an engineering
degree or technical school degree that will land you an in-demand job.”

For those like Aaron Lalley, Ph.D., instructor of mechanical
engineering at Mines, this
outreach is a win-win. Lalley says engineering students with an understanding
of the concepts now taught at Stevens High School have a leg up. “The idea is vertical
integration from high school education through new hire engineer,” says Lalley. “We
work closely with industrial partners, primarily Caterpillar, Cargill and Nucor,
to understand the needs they each have of new engineers. We also work with
Stevens and other high schools to help them understand the demands of our
curriculum and help them to develop programs that will better prepare the
students.”

SD Mines and Stevens High School students,
teachers and professors are available for media interviews on Tuesday.

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About SD Mines

Founded in 1885, the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is a science and engineering research university located in Rapid City, S.D., offering bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. The university enrolls 2,778 students with a student-to-faculty ratio of 15:1. The SD School of Mines placement rate is 96 percent, with an average starting salary of $62,929. Find us online at www.sdsmt.edu and on Facebook and Twitter.